John tonner kellt



(No Model.)

J. T. KELLY. RAISING SUNKEN VESSBLS.

No. 495,494. Patented Apr. 18, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN TONNER KELLY, OF NORTH FITZROY, VICTORIA.

RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,494, dated April18, 1893.

Application filed November 22, 1892- Serial No. 452,846. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN TONNER KELLY, blacksmith, a subject of theQueen of Great Britain, residing at 40 Queens Parade, North Fitzroy,near Melbourne, in the British Colony of Victoria, have invented acertain new and useful Improved Means for Raising Sunken Vessels, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has been devised for the purpose of providing effectivemeans for raising sunken vessels and in doing so the well knownprinciple of displacing water by the pressure of air has been adopted.Hitherto all attempts to utilize this method have been failures, and myinvention consists in certain means whereby this method may be madesuccessful.

According to my invention, I lower into the various compartments of thevessel, cases, one end of which is left open, but is lined with somematerial which is in itself air-tight, such as zinc, tin, or anyflexible material, such as canvas or divers dress cloth.

The drawing shows a sectional view of a vessel in connection with myinvention.

The cases A may be of any size or shape. The kind I propose to use arethose that are generally used for importing and exporting perishablegoods, such as drapery, pianos, &c., or well-made casks or iron tankswill answer the purpose. When lowered into the compartment they arebrought directly underneath the place they are meant to occupy; the caskor tank is then inverted with the open end downward; the end of a hose B(which is attached to some suitable source of air supply) is thenpointed into the case, cask or tank, when the air will displace thewater and cause the case to become buoyant, when it may be directed intoits proper position underneath the top of the compartment. The hose orpipe may then be temporarily fastened into the lower end of the case andair forced into it by means of a pump or air compressor until all thewater in the case, tank or cask is displaced, when another may beoperated on in the same manner.

WVhere the cases have to be placed in the compartment more than one tierdeep, care must be taken that the top or upper end of the lower one doesnot entirely close the open end of the one immediately above it. Thismay be easily attained by placing, say, three battens, 0 one and a halfinches thick, between the cases. The reason for keeping the lower end ofthe cases open is to allow the compressed air to escape rapidly as thevessel rises to the surface. In some cases it may be found necessary toline underneath the deck beams with strong planks, say, Oregon, ofsufficient size to stand the strain from beam to beam. The planks ofcourse should be placed in position prior to the lowering of the casesinto the compartment.

The upper deck of the vessel may also be strengthened from the outsidein the following manner:Let a cable or wire D be passed round the shipfrom stem to stern, and made fast at the ends. Let it be kept well belowher bilge and quarters. Strong beams E are then laid across the shipsdecks; the beams should be long enough to project outside of the shipssides, say five feet. A block and tackle F rove with chain or wire ropeis then attached to both ends of the beams, and connected with the cablethat has already been passed round the ship and drawn as tight aspracticable. Blocks and wedges G may now be driven between the beams andthe deck, which will be found to strengthen the deck just in proportionto the number of beams that are laid across in the manner hereindescribed.

Additional lifting power may be obtained from the outside of the ship bylining underneath the portion of the strengthening beams alreadydescribed that project outside of the ships sides with Oregon planks, IIwhen tanks or cases A may be placed under them in the same manner asthey are placed under the deck.

Having now particularly described andascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is- 1. In an apparatus for raising sunken vessels, thecombination of the air casks placed in the hold, the air pipes leadingthereto, the beams extending across the deck and projecting therefrom ateach side, the cable passing around the vessel and the connections derthe projecting ends of the beams, subbetween the said cable and theprojecting stantially as described. IO ends of the beams, substantiallyas described. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 2. In anapparatus for raising sunken veshand in presence of two witnesses. 5sels, the beams extending across the deck and JOHN TONNER KELLY.

projecting therefrom at each side, the cable WVitnesses: passing aroundthe vessel with connections to WALTER SMYTHE BAYSTON, the beam ends, andthe air casks placed un- WILLIAM GUEST HOLDEN.

